Why the Hornets must ignore the Lakers' rumored trade interest

The Los Angeles Lakers are in need of a big man, and it appears they are interested in Charlotte Hornets veteran Nick Richards.

After Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints wrote the Lakers' reported interest in Richards in an article where the sportswriter also revealed that Charlotte has only two players it doesn't want to leave anytime soon, Jovan Buha of The Athletic (at 24:30) corroborated the rumor recently.

Despite the rumors, no Richards trade to Los Angeles is imminent — and the Hornets should keep it that way.

The Hornets shouldn't ship Richards to the Lakers

The incoming fifth-year pro would certainly fill a void on the Purple and Gold's roster. LeBron James' squad is too thin at center, with only Jaxson Hayes as the only player on a standard contract who naturally plays the position. Anthony Davis at the five is also a scary proposition for opponents, but the star has long dissented from the idea that he should be a full-time center.

If the Lakers become desperate enough, maybe Charlotte can take advantage of it and fleece them of valuable assets in a possible swap.

However, the Hornets would be better off resisting any possible trade requests from Los Angeles for at least two important reasons.

For one, the 2020 NBA champ has developed a reputation for its inability to realize the potential of its promising big men in previous years, including Hayes, Mo Bamba, and Thomas Bryant. Richards would probably just be added to that list if a trade is consummated.

Moreover, the Lakers tend to field small-ball lineups anyway, and there wouldn't be enough minutes for Richards. So, the Hornets should probably refrain from sending their starter last season into exile.

It's also worth noting that Richards is still needed in Charlotte. Mark Williams has continued to deal with injuries, causing the 22-year-old to miss the preseason. As such, the team might have to call the University of Kentucky product's number again if Williams can't get a clean bill of health this season.

Besides, even if the former Duke University standout plays more than he misses time, Charlotte still has few options at the backup center spot. The organization recently let go of a possible reserve big man, Harry Giles, who could have ended Richards' Hornets tenure had he managed to impress the front office enough to give him a roster spot.

So, unless a surprise reinforcement is coming, Charlotte should hold onto Richards rather than send him packing to Los Angeles or a different destination, for that matter, as the team's rotation might suffer with him gone.